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Maidens
:For other uses of "Fall", see Fall (disambiguation) The four Maidens are the hosts of a vast magical power that has existed in Remnant for thousands of years. They are said to be the physical embodiment of the four seasons. Description There are four Maidens in existence at any time, each corresponding to one of the four seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Powers and Abilities Magic The power of the Maidens is magic and is independent of Dust use and distinct from a Semblance. It is not powered by Aura, and a Maiden does not need Aura to use her powers, as shown when Amber continues to use her Maiden powers after her Aura breaks in "Beginning of the End". Maidens are still able to use their Semblance, as shown by Raven Branwen and Cinder Fall. The Maidens are able to use any elemental power they choose, not being limited to their season, and some Maidens simply prefer certain elements over others.RWBY Rewind Amber is the first to show this ability in the show, when she uses lightning, fire, wind and ice during her fight in "Beginning of the End". Cinder Fall prefers to use fire but also uses ice to freeze Raven in "Vault of the Spring Maiden", as well as using earth to create a giant flaming rock sword while fighting Raven in "Downfall". Although they have only been shown using elemental powers, Maidens can actually use many different types of magic.RWBY Rewind: Season 2 Ep 8 - Justifying Jaune's Anger | Rooster Teeth When Maidens use their powers, their eyes become surrounded by a fiery glow that matches their Aura color. Maidens are capable of conjuring weapons comprised of the elements. Although, Cinder has shown that experienced Dust-users can perform similar feats. The World of RWBY: The Official Companion states that Cinder Fall has some control over the Wyvern through her Maiden powers, being able to influence its behavior. During the events of "The Enemy of Trust" it was seen and stated by Winter that Fria, the elderly Winter Maiden, has "fully realized" her power as the Winter Maiden, hinting that their is a level of power not even touched or approached by the current generation of Maidens such as Cinder or Raven who are both extremely capable fighters even without their magic. This is further given credence by the fact that Fria managed to easily overpower and repel Cinder using her Maiden Powers despite the former being a fellow Maiden who is both much younger and physically stronger than her, was not able to even come close to challenging the elderly maiden despite theses advantages. Vaults The Maidens are also each tied to the Vaults hidden under the four main Huntsman Academies. They act as keys to access the Relics, so nobody else can open the chambers that the Relics are hidden in. Spring can access the Vault in Haven, Fall can access the Vault in Beacon, Summer can access the Vault in Shade Academy and Winter can access the Vault in Atlas. Succession The powers of the Maidens pass from host to host upon the death of the current holder in a process that has been continuing for thousands of years. The exact method through which the power chooses its next host is not fully understood. Under normal circumstances, the next Maiden, who is always a young woman, is the last person that the previous Maiden holds in her thoughts before she passes away. However, if the person in the dying Maiden's thoughts is male, too old, or otherwise not eligible to receive the power, the next host is chosen seemingly at random. This system apparently ensures that no one person can hold the power forever. In "Never Miss a Beat", Ozpin states that "Maidens choose themselves", possibly indicating that the inheritance of these powers is voluntary, but it is unknown how this would fit into the above set of rules. It is possible Ozpin was speaking metaphorically. When the Maiden powers pass on to a new host, they bind to the host's Aura, or more likely, their soul, as implied in "Fall" when James Ironwood and Ozpin explain to Pyrrha Nikos why they must use the Aura transfer machine. Cinder had "split" the power by using a Grimm to forcibly steal part of it, leaving Amber in a comatose state. With the Aura transfer machine keeping Amber on life support, her remaining Maiden powers could not be transferred without also transferring her "Aura", due to her still being alive. When a Maiden's powers are being transferred while she is still alive, the object or Grimm that is transferring the powers glows the same color as that Maiden's Aura. This is first seen in "Beginning of the End", when a yellow-orange glow travels from Amber, along with the Grimm beetle's slime and up Cinder's arm. In "Heroes and Monsters", a yellow-orange glow spreads from Amber, through the Aura transfer machine's pipes, and onto Pyrrha, and in "Downfall", a red glow begins to move from Raven into Cinder's Shadow Hand. In the event that someone who has stolen part of a Maiden's power kills the woman holding the other half, the power will seek out its other half. However, Amber's last thoughts could have also been a factor for Cinder fully ascending. In "Vault of the Spring Maiden" and "The Enemy of Trust", Cinder attempts to claim the powers of the Spring Maiden and the Winter Maiden respectively, showing that Cinder may have the capacity to hold more than one Maiden's power at a time, although she may simply assume that this is possible due to her arrogance and egomania. In "The Enemy of Trust", it is shown that the power of a Maiden can also be transferred to a synthetic person that has a soul, as Fria's powers successfully transfer to Penny. Although the partial soul inside of Penny originally came from a man, Penny identifies as female and proved to still be a viable candidate for inheriting Maiden powers as she is her own individual. History Origins The Story of the Seasons, a fairy tale passed down through the cultures of Remnant, purportedly tells of the origins of the Maidens. The story goes that an old wizard is visited by four sisters, who each in their own unique ways are kind to him; the first by encouraging him to meditate and reflect, the second by bringing him fruit and flowers and revitalizing his garden, the third convincing him to step outside and embrace the world, and the fourth by encouraging him to be thankful for what he has. The wizard gives the four sisters great powers in return for their kindness, and as the embodiment of the four seasons, they go through Remnant spreading their gifts. In "Rest and Resolutions", Ozpin reveals that the old wizard in the story was in fact, himself in one of his past incarnations and that he gave them their powers. Secrecy While the existence of the Maidens was initially common knowledge, power-hungry individuals began to hunt them down in the hopes of inheriting their power. Because the consequences of these powers falling into the wrong hands would be potentially disastrous, a group was founded in order to protect both the Maidens and the people of Remnant. The group decided to keep the Maidens secret from the public and allowed their existence to fade into myth and legend. This secrecy is still upheld by the current members of this group, which includes Ozpin, Qrow Branwen, Glynda Goodwitch, James Ironwood, Leonardo Lionheart and Theodore, the headmaster of Shade Academy. Raven is also aware of the secret. Present Day Fall Maiden Sometime around the events of the "Black" Trailer, the previous Fall Maiden, a young woman named Amber, was attacked by Cinder Fall and her allies, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. Cinder used a mysterious glove to steal Amber's powers but was interrupted by Qrow, who severed the connection before Cinder was able to steal all of Amber's power. Cinder was able to escape, retaining the stolen portion of Amber's power. Amber was left comatose by the attack and was therefore placed on life support in a vault deep beneath Beacon Academy. Ozpin feared that if Amber were to die, her powers might pass to her attacker, as she is likely to be the last person in Amber's dying thoughts. Alternatively, upon her death, the power might attempt to seek to reunite with its other half, also currently being held by Cinder. The possibility of a dangerous individual assuming the powers of the Fall Maiden has the potential to threaten the peace that Remnant has been experiencing. In order to avoid this, Ozpin and his allies elect Pyrrha Nikos to become the next Fall Maiden. As the succession cannot occur by natural means, they plan to use experimental Atlesian technology to artificially transfer Amber's Aura, to which the Maiden's power is tied, to Pyrrha. However, the other consequences of this are unknown, and Ozpin states that Pyrrha may not be the same person after it. After Vale comes under attack by Grimm and the White Fang in an attack orchestrated by Cinder and her allies, Pyrrha decides to undergo the transfer out of selflessness. Unfortunately, the procedure is interrupted when Cinder infiltrates the vault and shoots an arrow into Amber's chest, killing her and causing her power to reunite with its other half, completing Cinder's status as the new Fall Maiden. Spring Maiden Over a decade prior to the events of Volume 5, an unnamed young woman had inherited the powers of the Spring Maiden. She underwent training for her powers at Haven Academy, which was overseen by Leonardo Lionheart. At first, she was determined, but the weight of her responsibilities overwhelmed her, and she ran away and disappeared. Sometime after that, she was discovered by the Branwen Tribe and trained by Raven Branwen. According to Raven, the training did not go well no matter how hard she pushed the girl to become stronger. Through unknown circumstances, Raven came to inherit the Spring Maiden powers from her. Raven claims that whatever action she took that led to this was an act of mercy due to believing the girl being “too weak” for the dangers of the world. Knowing that she could potentially be targeted for her Maiden powers, Raven kept her powers secret and had a fellow tribe member, Vernal, pose as the Spring Maiden. Vernal pretended to use the powers, while Raven hid her Maiden eye flames with a mask. During a temporary alliance to help destroy Haven and secure the Relic of Knowledge, Cinder double crosses Raven and Vernal and attempts to siphon the Spring Maiden's power from Vernal, only to find out she attacked the wrong woman. Raven reveals herself as the true Maiden, and she and Cinder duel, resulting in Cinder's defeat. Raven then opens the passage to the Relic of Knowledge, only for her daughter to dissuade her from taking it. Winter Maiden Upon arriving in Atlas, Ruby's group learns that the current Winter Maiden, an elderly woman, is in stable condition and is being kept safe. Later, Winter Schnee takes Weiss Schnee to a heavily guarded medical facility to show her the Winter Maiden, Fria. There, she reveals that Ironwood only allows Winter to see Fria so that the powers will be passed on to her. After Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows are apprehended after having caused chaos and a Grimm attack in Mantle, Ironwood returns to his office and is emotionally shaken upon seeing a black queen chess piece left behind by Cinder. Paranoid, he sends Winter to claim the Winter Maiden powers, and soon after, a message from Salem sparks further chaos. Cinder follows Winter to the medical facility and attempts to steal Fria's powers, only for Penny Polendina to claim them instead while Cinder is distracted by Winter. Amidst Ironwood's falling out with Team RWBY, Penny chooses to leave with the latter, taking the Winter Maiden powers with her and leaving Ironwood unable to access the Relic of Creation, which he had planned to use. Known Maidens Winter Spring Summer Fall Image Gallery Chapter 1 Prelude: The Elegy RWBY_DC_Comics_1_(Chapter_1)_The_Four_Maidens.jpg|The imagery of the Four Maidens. Trivia *The idea for the Maidens was thought up by Monty Oum in between Volume 2 and Volume 3 and worked into the story.Volume 3 DVD Commentary *The colors meant to correspond to each Maiden appear to differ between the show proper and RWBY: World of Remnant. Consistently, Winter is light blue and Spring is green. However, in "Fall", Summer was orange and Fall was purple, but in the World of Remnant episode "The Four Maidens", Summer is purple and Fall is orange. In "Heroes and Monsters", the power of the Fall Maiden appears to be orange when it passes from person to person. *According to Ozpin's Group, Cinder is the first person to have stolen a part of a Maiden's powers. *The age cutoff for gaining the Maiden powers has been stated to be unofficially around thirty years old.CRWBY AMA *The color of a Maiden's eye glow matches her Aura, rather than being specific to which Maiden she is. **Nearly all Maidens so far have had a matching Aura and eye color except for Amber whom had brown eyes and yellow-orange Aura, with her eye glow matching her Aura. This indicates that the eye glow does not necessarily match the Maiden's eye color but does match her Aura color. References Category:Terminology Category:Maidens Category:Legends Category:Power Category:Magic Category:In need of updating